**This Week’s Storylines**
LEADING THE NORTH
The Amerks enter the week having earned 28 out of a possible 38 points in the last 19 contests and have won eight of their last 13 games overall after splitting the weekend. Rochester’s 1-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday kept the team two points in front of the Syracuse Crunch for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division standings. In the Eastern Conference, only the Charlotte Checkers have more wins (17) than the Amerks (13).
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The Amerks embark on a busy stretch which keeps the team on home ice for seven of its next nine games beginning this weekend through the Christmas break. Rochester will see seven different opponents over that stretch, including a back-to-back set with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the final two games leading up to the annual Christmas break.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE
The Amerks own the league’s top two scoring defensemen coming into the December in Zach Redmond (13+9) and Lawrence Pilut (3+19), who share the team lead with 22 points each.
RED-HOT REDS
Redmond has recorded a team-high 13 goals this season, including six that have held up as game-winning goals, a new career-high, while six have also been scored on the man-advantage, good enough for third in the league in that category. Redmond, who had an AHL-best nine-game point streak to end the month of October, is tied for third in the league in goals (13) and is tied for 10th in points (22), while his six game-winning goals are tops in the AHL.
PILUT TAKES FLIGHT
Prior to earning his second NHL recall in six days from the Buffalo Sabres last Tuesday and making his NHL debut on Friday at Florida, Pilut saw his career-long seven-game point streak end. It was just the third time all season that the former SHL Defenseman of the Year had been held without a point. Pilut has recorded nearly half of his 22 points on the power-play this season, including two of his three goals, which are tied for ninth among all AHL blueliners. He has recorded points in 12 of his last 14 games and ranks second in the AHL in with 19 assists while his team-best plus-19 on-ice rating is also the best mark in the league in that category. His 22 points, meanwhile, lead all defensemen and are tied for 10th overall in the league.
REDMOND NEARING HISTORY
Earlier this season, Redmond became the fastest Amerks defenseman to score 10 goals in the fewest amount of games to begin the season since Amerks Hall of Famer Don McSween reached the mark in his first 21 games during the 1989-90 campaign. McSween would later go on to become the top scoring defenseman in franchise history. Redmond, who last season was the first Rochester blueliner in seven years to lead the team in scoring, is two goals away from matching his career-high of 15 from last season and needs just six more to tie the single-season franchise record for the most goals by a defenseman of 18, set by Hall of Famer Rick Pagnutti during the 1972-73 campaign. The AHL record for goals scored by a defenseman is held by John Slaney, who netted 30 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during the 1999-00 season.
BUSY BETWEEN THE PIPES
Scott Wedgewood has got the nod between the pipes in 11 of the last 14 games. After dropping his first two games of the season, the sixth-year netminder won five straight to close out the month of October, matching the career-best mark he set while backstopping the Albany Devils during the 2015-16 season. He enters the first week of December tied for third among all AHL goaltenders in shutouts (2) and tied for fourth in wins (8).
IRON MAN SIMPSON
Rochester forward Wayne Simpson is the AHL’s current leader in consecutive games played with 208. Prior to joining the Amerks, the Boxborough, Mass., native appeared in all 76 regular-season games with the Hershey Bears and Providence Bruins over each of the last two seasons, in addition to 35 straight appearances for the Portland Pirates dating back to the 2015-16 campaign. Simpson has tallied 10 points on six goals and four assists through 21 games with the Amerks this season.
THREE IN FOUR NIGHTS
The Amerks get into the heart of a busy December schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 5 when they welcome back the Utica Comets for a North Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena. Following the 7:05 p.m. contest with the Comets, the Amerks host the Providence Bruins for their lone trip to the Flower City on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:05 p.m. After the two home tilts, Rochester makes its first trip back to Syracuse since the Opening Round of the 2018 Calder Cup for a clash with the Crunch on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. All three games will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/ 95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.
**This Week’s Schedule**
Monday, Dec. 3
Practice – 10:30 a.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Tuesday, Dec. 4
Practice – 10:30 a.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Reading Appearance – 6:30 p.m. at Irondequoit Library with Brandon Hickey
Wednesday, Dec. 5
Morning Skate – 10:00 a.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Home Game vs. Utica Comets – 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Thursday, Dec. 6
Practice – 12:00 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Reading Appearance – 6:30 p.m. at Penfield Library with Kyle Criscuolo
Friday, Dec. 7 – Seneca Legends Night featuring Freddy Jackson
Morning Skate – 10:00 a.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Home Game vs. Providence Bruins – 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Saturday, Dec. 8
Morning Skate – 10:00 a.m. at Bill Gray’s IcePlex
Road Game vs. Syracuse Crunch – 7:05 p.m. at the War Memorial Arena
Sunday, Dec. 9
Day Off
Time and locations are always subject to change.
Warren S. Kosel Ryan J. Harr
Director of Public and Media Relations Public and Media Relations Coordinator
(585) 286-9928 (585) 286-9940
[email protected] [email protected]
